West Thames College is proud to have achieved Good Business Charter (GBC) accreditation for the second year running, reinforcing its position as a national leader in ethical, sustainable and socially responsible business practices within the further education sector.
Having been the first further education college in the country to receive this prestigious accreditation, West Thames College has continued to demonstrate a strong and consistent commitment to the values and standards set out by the Good Business Charter. The College’s leadership team has worked diligently to maintain and strengthen these practices, embedding responsibility, fairness and sustainability across all areas of operation.
Renewal of the accreditation highlights the College’s ongoing focus on building strong foundations for its staff, learners, partners and wider community, while acting as a positive role model for ethical business conduct within education and beyond. It also reflects the College’s ambition to continue sharing best practice and encouraging other organisations to adopt responsible business principles.
The Good Business Charter evaluates organisations across ten key components:
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Real Living Wage – Ensuring all employees and regular contractors receive the Real Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
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Fairer Hours and Contracts – Adopting fair practices around zero-hour contracts, including equitable shift scheduling and cancellation policies, and considering guaranteed hours contracts.
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Employee Well-being – Implementing transparent policies that promote and support employee well-being, including fair approaches to sickness.
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Employee Representation – Engaging with worker representatives so employees have a meaningful voice in decision-making.
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Monitoring and analysing data to address and eliminate workplace discrimination and disadvantage.
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Environmental Responsibility – Committing to reducing environmental impact and continually improving environmental performance.
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Paying Fair Tax – Paying the right amount of tax, avoiding tax avoidance schemes and maintaining transparency with tax authorities.
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Commitment to Customers – Demonstrating a clear commitment to customer satisfaction by actively seeking and responding to feedback.
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Ethical Sourcing – Ensuring supply chains meet ethical standards in line with the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.
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Prompt Payment to Suppliers – Committing to timely supplier payments through the government’s Prompt Payment Code.
To achieve and renew GBC accreditation, organisations must meet the requirements across all ten components through a robust online self-certification process, ensuring responsible business practices are upheld consistently throughout the organisation.
For more information about the Good Business Charter, visit www.goodbusinesscharter.com.
